Bouncing Back
by Mindylynne
Summary: A one-shot scene from 3x03. Jay is frustrated when Mouse is taken hostage and feels helpless. Erin does her best to comfort him.


Jay burst through the locker room door and stalked over to his locker. He punched his fist into the metal door once, twice, then again.

"Damn, Damn, Damn!" He cursed with each punch.

Erin, who had witnessed his angry departure into the locker room trailed in behind him. "Stop it, Jay!" she demanded. He looked at her through angry eyes, before punching the locker one more time. He braced his arms against the wall of lockers and bent his head towards the floor in frustration. Erin approached him cautiously. "You've got to keep it together. Mouse needs you with your head on straight."

Jay pushed off from the lockers and turned to face his partner. "What Mouse needs is to be up here instead of trapped in that office with a psycho." Jay's irritation and frustration at not being able to help his friend was overwhelming him. Watching Mouse being dragged at gunpoint into that office replayed through his mind. "I just wish it'd been me, not him." He let out a sigh and sank onto the bench behind him. His shoulders were slumped in defeat as he dropped his head into his hands.

Erin's heart broke seeing Jay look so defeated. Jay usually was the strong one. The guy who was first through the door. Jay was the guy who pursued suspects relentlessly. Even after the hardest cases, Jay usually stayed strong, supporting her and the team when they needed it. Now was the time when her partner needed her. She walked the short distance to the bench and ran her hand along his back comfortingly as she sat down beside him. "Hey, you only get to be kidnapped once a year, okay?" She stroked his back gently. "I've barely recovered from the last time."

Jay's anguished eyes met hers. He knew she was just trying to make him feel better, but the truth was that he wasn't sure Mouse could handle this. Jay knew that he could handle, Mouse on the other hand…

His voice was strained as he started to talk. "You know Mouse, wasn't always….how he is…now. Back in the day, he was top notch. We were a team, you know. Me, Mouse, Tully, and Holllingsworth. Ever since that one day though…" Jay swallowed. He was okay with what had happened in the past, but he knew it had effected Mouse differently. He met Erin's eyes. She knew parts of what his team had gone through all those years ago, but he hadn't really told her details. Most of the time he just shut it away and didn't think about. Mouse couldn't do it though. He lived each day with the things they had seen and done. "He just was never the same, even after we came home."

Jay hoped Mouse was keeping it together. He hoped that Mouse's training was kicking in and that he was down in that office getting the assailant to talk. He hoped Mouse was waiting for the moment where he could take control of the situation and take out the guy. But mostly he just hoped he'd have another chance to have a beer with his friend.

He ran his fingers through his hair before turning slightly to face Erin. "He's been doing great since he's been here. Likes showing up, working with the team, and helping out. Says it makes him feel like he's back in the army." He shrugged, "Plus, I just kind of have like having my friend around." Jay had a lot of buddies, guys from the gym, a couple buddies from the old neighborhood. There were even a few guys from his old precinct that he kept in contact with regularly. It was different with Mouse though. Mouse knew the dark days of Jay's past, but didn't need to talk about it. Mouse also knew how things went down with his mom, his dad, Will, and even most of the situation with Erin. It was nice having someone around like that. He'd be lost without him.

Looking at Erin, he couldn't help but think that she'd probably felt the same way when Nadia had died. He gave her a sad smile.

Erin felt tears threaten behind her eyes, she reached out and grabbed his hand and pulled it between hers. "We are going to get him out. That guy doesn't want to hurt Mouse. He just wanted our attention. And he has it now." Her voice was firm, even if her heart was worried.

Jay nodded, but his face was twisted in concern, "But what if…" He paused getting choked up. "What if he can't bounce back?"

Erin reached her hand out and gently caressed Jay's cheek. She looked into Jay's tortured eyes and tried to reassure him with her words. "He's going to be okay. He's got you. He's got the team. We are going to help get him right." She tried to offer Jay a small smile, reassure him that everything was going to be okay. Not even thinking, she leaned forward and gently brushed her lips against his. It was meant just to be a gesture of comfort. She didn't think it through, just wanted to show that she cared and was there for him. Their lips touched for just a second before sparks ignited. Their lips tangled briefly, pressure increasing, Erin's breath left her as the moment intensified.

Suddenly, Jay pulled back, "Erin…I can't…" He shook his head slightly, eyes unfocused as he looked away.

Horrified at her actions, Erin covered her mouth with her hand. "Jay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" Not even knowing what to say, she stood up and pushed away. What the hell was she thinking kissing Jay? They'd cautiously reconnected as partners the past two weeks, but there was still an awkwardness to everything. Voight had kept her close to his side, so they hadn't had much opportunity to talk on calls. Since she was also sleeping at Voight's house, her free time was seriously limited. A few case related conversations and a couple "How are things going?" were about all they'd shared. Now she's forcing herself on him in the locker room while his best friend was being held hostage one story below them.

"Jay, I'm sorry," she repeated. "I was just-"

Whatever Erin was going to say was lost as Ruzek popped his head through the door. "We just got a hit on Trevor. It's going down at the bus station. We are rolling out in two minutes." Jay sprinted for the door. Erin took a deep breath as she watched Jay's retreating form. She refocused her mind on the case. First things first, they needed to rescue Mouse, but soon, real soon, her and Jay were going to have to sit down and talk things out.


End file.
